Hospital-based norovirus surveillance in children <5 years of age from 2017 to 2019 in India.

After the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine into the Universal Immunization Program in India in 2016, relatively few studies have assessed the prevalence and epidemiological patterns of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among hospitalized children ≤5 years of age. We used a uniform protocol to recruit children with AGE as well as standardized testing and typing protocols. Stool specimens from children with AGE younger than 5 years of age admitted to six hospitals in three cities in India were collected from January 2017 through December 2019. Norovirus was detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) followed by typing positive specimens by conventional RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Norovirus was detected in 322 (14.8%) of 2182 specimens with the highest rate in 2018 (17.6%, 146/829), followed by 2019 (14.4%, 122/849) and 2017 (10.7%, 54/504). Rotavirus vaccine status was known for 91.6% of the children of which 70.4% were vaccinated and 29.6% not. Norovirus positivity in rotavirus-vaccinated children was 16.3% and 12% in unvaccinated children. GII.4 Sydney[P16] (39.3%), GII.4 Sydney[P31] (18.7%), GII.2[P16] (10%), GI.3[P13] (6.8%), GII.3[P16] (5.9%), and GII.13[P16] (5%) accounted for 85.8% (188/219) of the typed strains. Our data highlight the importance of norovirus in Indian children hospitalized with AGE.

Swarna Bindu Prashana-an Ancient Approach to Improve the Infant's Immunity.

Swarna bindu prashana (SBP) is a metallic medicinal preparation widely used in Ayurveda pediatrics. The main ingredients of SBP are swarna prashan (gold nanoparticle), gou ghrita (cow ghee), madhu (honey), and other medhya dravyas (drugs which enhance intellectual, memory). According to the Indian classical text, SBP has been proposed as a potent medicine for immunotherapies and vaccine development due to its indefinite size, shapes, charges, and surface functionality. In this review, we describe the plausible mechanism of SBP in dendritic cells maturation and subsequent T cell activation. But being herbo-metallic preparation, its safety and efficacy are well supported by the classical publications of Ayurveda. To conclude, SBP is an immune booster for infants against any viral disease, and it is necessary to validate its safety and efficacy through systematic methodological research.

Association of Serum Magnesium with Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Cataract.

Magnesium deficiency enhances oxidative stress which contributes to early development of cataract formation, and also the progression in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients remains unclear. The present study was designed to evaluate the serum levels of magnesium, oxidative stress marker and antioxidant status and to find out if there is any association between them in the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract compared with non-diabetic senile cataract, diabetes without cataract and normal healthy subjects. This comparative study includes 90 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with cataract, 90 non-diabetic senile cataract patients, 90 type 2 diabetes mellitus without cataract and 90 normal healthy individual subjects without cataract in the age group between 40 and 75 years of both genders. Serum magnesium was estimated by using a fully automated analyser. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of oxidative stress biomarker, was determined by spectrophotometry, and the antioxidant status such as serum reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase-3(GPX-3) levels was estimated by ELISA method. The present study shows significantly decreased levels of magnesium, GSH, GPX-3 and increased level of MDA in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with cataract when compared with non-diabetic senile cataract patients, type 2 DM without cataract and normal healthy individuals. A significant negative correlation of serum magnesium with MDA and positive correlation with GPX-3 were observed. The present findings indicate that hypomagnesaemia is a significant pathogenic factor which causes increased oxidative stress which may trigger earlier cataractogenesis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.